Glass bottles and similar containers are used for shipment of liquid products that may, for one reason or another, not be storable or shippable in plastic containers (e.g., made from polystyrene, polypropylene or polyvinyl chloride). For example, chemical products that must retain a high level of purity are shipped in glass bottles because of the adverse reactions with plastic containers. However, glass bottles are fragile and prone to shattering on impact with surfaces or one another. Therefore, it is necessary to cushion glass bottles containing chemical products to prevent breakage during shipping and storage. This is necessary, not only to protect the product itself, but also because these products are frequently solvents or other chemicals that present an environmental hazard if leaked or spilled.
Disposing of packaging material is an additional burden on those who receive bottles and who are already burdened with disposing of not only chemical waste but also of the bottles and packaging materials themselves. Any arrangement that can reduce the disposal burden on an end user of chemical products shipped and stored in bottles is of substantial importance. Moreover, it is desirable that such packaging materials be recyclable and made from recycled, or at a minimum, biodegradable materials.
Currently, it is generally known to package bottles of chemicals in expanded foam polystyrene (EPS) packing material, which is placed around the bottles within a corrugated paper board container. A drawback of using EPS is that solvents in or on the bottles can dissolve the EPS, thus reducing or eliminating its cushioning purpose. Moreover, once the package is opened there are two discreet material groups which must be disposed of—the corrugated paper board as well as the expanded polystyrene. Polystyrene foam also has environmental impacts itself, both because the gases that it releases as it decomposes and because of its exaggerated physical presence resulting from its rigid expanded cell structure that consumes a great deal of volume in landfills. Restricting the use of foamed polystyrene packaging is a priority of many solid waste and environmental organizations as well as governments. For example, a number of US cities have banned polystyrene food packaging.
In view of these considerations, there is a continuing need for an economical replacement of polystyrene with a packing system that eliminates the dual waste streams, and that uses a biodegradable packing material for which there are established, environment-friendly waste management processes in place. One such solution is a packaging system and method described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/025,419 (US 2008/0302691 A1) for a “BOTTLE SHIPPING SYSTEM WITH MULTIPURPOSE INSERT.”
In light of the above-noted problems, the packaging system disclosed herein provides an improved package with several molded inserts including a base, interlocking dividers and a reverse fit top pad. More specifically, the system provides both impact protection and cushioning for the bottle(s), and also assures the ease of use and re-use of such a system. Furthermore the inserts are preferably manufactured from molded paper or pulp materials that may include recycled content and are similarly recyclable or biodegradable.
Disclosed herein is a bottle packaging system, comprising: a carton having paper board panels defining a space, the panels meeting to define a plurality of interior corners; a fiber-molded bottom insert placed on the bottom of the carton for receiving the bottoms of a plurality of bottles; a reverse fit top pad fitting over the caps and necks of bottles placed into the carton; and a pair of dividers, said dividers interlocking with one another, said dividers further including tabs on the tops and bottoms therefor, said tabs being inserted into corresponding recesses in both the bottom insert and the top pad.
Also disclosed herein is a method for packaging a plurality of bottles, comprising: assembling a carton having paper board panels defining a space, the panels meeting to define a plurality of interior corners; placing a fiber-molded bottom insert on the bottom of the carton for receiving the bottoms of a plurality of bottles; assembling a pair of dividers, said dividers interlocking with one another along a slot therein, and placing the dividers into the carton so that tabs on the lower side thereof are inserted into corresponding recesses in both the bottom insert; and placing a reverse fit top pad fitting over the caps and necks of bottles placed into the carton, wherein tabs on the tops of said dividers are inserted into corresponding recesses in the top pad.
The various embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments described. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.